Once I return
by SerenePhenix
Summary: Sasuke comes back from a mission on which he had to retrieve someone and before he returns with him to town, they have a little chat about the past 10 years... One-shot!No yaoi! Contains SasuSaku and many others!


So here it is, my first **serious** Naruto fanfic. I was imagining what the ending of the story could be and that's what came out. Critics are much appreciated! =)

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Sasuke liked to watch the sunset. Not because darkness was then crawling everywhere or the cold soothing breeze that came along with the late hours. No. It was because he knew he was given an other chance to see the next day. Something that had seemed out of reach a long time ago. He opened his eyes he had closed while taking in the cool air of the moonlit night. The gates of Konoha, that had once been destroyed by Pain but were an exact copy of the original ones, looked to him now welcoming. With time Sasuke felt like coming home, even when he saw them already from afar. But he knew, without Sakura all this wouldn't have been possible for him. He felt a smile cross his lips. Yes, without her, nothing would have been as it was today. He heard a loud thud and turned around. The very reason he had left his hometown two months ago was sitting on the ground with an defiant look on his face and his small sling bag beside him. Even though Sasuke was happy to have managed to bring him back here, he wasn't really eager on telling him again he really had to go back into town. He sighed. What could he tell him this time....."You know,..... I still can't believe I actually came with you." The voice was hoarse from lack of use and in a way Sasuke felt sorry for him. He knew what it was like to come back. The fear, the accusations...It wouldn't be easy for him. He knew that. But he didn't push, didn't want to make the other feel more insecure than he already was. So he sat down beside him on the path and waited till the other would say something again. But instead the person took his torn and ragged bag and pulled something long out of it. Sasuke cognized what it was the moment the other lit it up. This was quiet a surprise for the raven-haired man so he frowned. "_You_ are smoking?", was the only thing he could manage to say when his gaze rested on the blowpipe in the other one's mouth. The object looked so much like the Sandaime`s ... "So what?", the other snapped looking at him as if he had said something insulting, "It's my right. After all I'm an adult!" Sasuke couldn't else then smile; it somewhat felt like the old times.... He kept himself quiet, watching the smoke rings the other did rising in the sky and disappear into nothingness. Finally the other began to move and turned himself directly to him. A lot had changed about the person in front of him. The hair was much longer than it had ever been, the whisker marks had disappeared, maybe as an after effect of that battle, he was taller and also a lot thinner, a possible outcome of the ascetic way of life he had lived till now, but what had changed more than anything else were his eyes. The bright shine they once had had, had stiffened. In it's place was the gaze of a person who had seen too much pain to bear, too much anguish and too much loneliness. But still, there was undeniable wisdom and understanding in them and a hint of that fire that had once burned in them. Sasuke waited expectantly but nothing happened. The other just studied his face and then turned around again. Sasuke sighed. If they continued like this, they wouldn't have made one step into the village till Aiko`s next birthday. Suddenly he felt his old friend tense up, his gaze firmly directed at the gates in front of him. "They've all....", his voice was hesitant, merely a whisper but nonetheless he continued, "They've all been waiting for me to return all these years, you say?"

"Of course we did. Everyone of us. For all the past ten years, Naruto.", Sasuke stated in a serious voice. It was important the other knew, that he understood. Naruto looked at him in confusion: "Ten years you say? I thought it was seven."

Sasuke began to laugh hard. He didn't know why exactly he was, but with Naruto`s last sentence he was remembered of the days when they had been a team, with Naruto pulling pranks and telling stupid things the line long. With Sakura always helping them and giving instructions and advises when needed. And Kakashi-sensei who'd always come late or read Jiraya`s perverted books. He kind of missed it but back then he had dwelled enough on these memories so he had no need to do so anymore. He faced Naruto with a smile and saw him looking at him with a "what-the-hell-is-now-wrong" face. Sasuke became serious again and turned his gaze to the lanterns on the main street of Konoha. A few moments later he could hear Naruto clearing his throat in order to get noticed. Sasuke turned around again and saw Naruto shifting nervously on the hard ground. It was clear he was embarrassed by the look on his face. He turned his gaze away from Sasuke and began to speak in a sheepish voice: " I just figured…..If so much time passed then there must have happened a lot of things while I was away. I realised only now….that in fact I don't have any idea how everyone is do-…"

"And now you want me to tell you?", Sasuke said with a wide grin on his face.

Naruto, sulking because Sasuke cut his word, ruffled the back of his head with the blowpipe and then nodded. Sasuke again had a hard time from holding himself back from laughing. Naruto had become slightly red, whether it was because he had to admit he needed his old friends help or because actually he felt a little uneasy because he didn't have any idea of his friends life. Sasuke found it just amusing. "So,", began Sasuke who pulled himself together again, "where should I start?" After a moment of silence in which Naruto inhaled the smoke of his pipe, he finally found a question he could ask: "What about you? What happened after you came back?"

Sasuke had been prepared for this. Still he didn't like to think back of this time. "After we managed to defeat Madara and Jubi and you were nowhere to be found, I was brought back to the village." He frowned at the thought of what he was going to tell now. "Because there was no Hokage to lead the village for the while, the villagers tried to death-sentence me, so that I wouldn't bother them anymore. They also believed that I killed you after the fight."

Naruto didn't show any sign of disbelieve or anger. He had expected it. The villagers were so predictable! Nonetheless, Sasuke continued: "Sakura and Sai were the first ones to defend me, saying that it was your dream to bring me back to Konoha. A dream you had put all your efforts and strength in. By killing me, they would throw away everything you had fought for. After that speech they were joined by Hinata first, then came Ino, Lee, Chouji, Kiba and even Shikamaru. It amazed me how they defended me, until I realized that all of them apart Sakura were in fact protecting your dream. Even though I wasn't put into jail I was restricted from leaving the village and surveyed by some ANBU. "

Naruto stayed silent drawing circles in the sand and waiting for his interlocutor to continue. But his eyes held a sad expression, not really looking at what he was doing, thinking about something from the past. What those thoughts were about, remained a mystery to Sasuke.

"What about Neji and the others?" The question came sudden but not unattended.

"It took a while, but after all I managed to get a little of their trust back. The one I needed most time with was Kakashi-sensei…. You don't need to throw me that look you know.", Sasuke answered, looking at the others expression, which showed absolute incredulity.

"He was the one who warned me to leave the village and all I had obtained behind just to hunt down Itachi. I set all his warnings to nought and made one mistake after another. Maybe not listening to him was the biggest I have made. Soon the new Hokage should be decided and Shizune proposed Sakura, much to her astonishment. The villagers were unsure whether to take a ninja with more experience, like Kakashi or Yamato. They were even thinking about to take Shikmaru as their new leader. But then the village was infested by a disease, totally unknown to any medic. Many people died and only Sakura, together with Shizune, were able to co-operate with Suna and make an antidote for it. After that, no one doubted that Sakura would be a good Hokage, seeing how she had managed everything during those two years."

"Two years?!", was Narutos reply. That last statement had taken him aback.

"Yes. That's how long it took her to make the antidote. When she became Hokage she helped me to become a ninja again, although many disproved and she met severe opposition. She did so much for me…"

"That's because she's always loved you. Even after you deserted the village.", Naruto stated, looking up at the gates again.

"I know.", Sasuke replied smiling softly. A smile that reached his eyes. "After all she's, done we kind of found each other again and we…..well, you know….four years after my return we married." He heard something fall on the ground and looked at Naruto. The blonde looked as if someone had slapped him across the face, frozen, his blow-pipe lying on the road. It took him a few seconds until he returned to normal, looking at his friend as if this one had made some kind of joke.

"Wait a sec! So you mean, you and Sakura are…"

"Living together, loving each other, having a daughter? Of course we do!", answered the raven-haired man with a playful grin on his face, finding it hard not to laugh. Naruto's expression was just so priceless. To his surprise his old friend and team-mate let himself fall back on the dusty ground facing the stars in the dark sky. There was a moment of awkward silence between the two of them till Sasuke raised his voice again. "You alright? I mean, I knew you were always in love with Sakura." His voice was a little unsure. He didn't know how much his friend's feelings could have changed in those last years.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I saw something like this coming. I don't know why but I assume my instincts always have tried to tell me that you were gonna be the one for her. Also, I realized that what I felt for her was only a puppy love …" He was still gazing up at the shiny little spots in the darkness. Then, with a swift flowing movement, he sat upright and was now sitting in front of Sasuke with a curious expression "But did I hear right, you and Sakura have actually a kid?"

"Yes, a little daughter. Her name is Aiko and she's six. A little troublemaker with occasional outbursts but with her heart in the right place. She wants to become a ninja too. Before I went on my mission to search for you, I came to the academy to watch the entrance ceremony. She was radiant!" Naruto could see Sasuke's love for his daughter as he talked about her. It made him happy seeing how his best friend had finally found some happiness in the village he had once hated. Unconsciously, he himself began to smile. His muscles ached as he did so. He hadn't smiled in a while thus it was difficult to do it again. To regain his old habit.

"But we are not the only ones.", Sasuke continued, "Shikamaru also has a little daughter and a son. Wait what were their names….Himawari and Masao. I had the chance to see a picture of them."

Naruto looked at Sasuke. There was one thing he didn't understand… "What do you mean by «I had the chance to see a picture of them»? Isn't Shikamaru in Konoha anymore?" He was clearly disappointed, Sasuke could tell from the other's voice. Maybe seeing the oh-so annoyed friend had been one of the reasons he had accede to come back home. "He left, soon after everything was settled with the sudden disease. He was one of the first victims and unfortunately because of it the whole right side of his body went numb. Sakura…was really desperate. She needed a whole week before she actually could tell him that there was no cure for the after effects. It was clear that he could never be a ninja again." Naruto was listening with shock written all over his face. "Soon after that Temari came here to see his condition. She was really concerned and she decided to stay here for a while to look after him. Shikamaru was upset, not because of himself but because it meant he could not fulfil his promise to Asuma. But Kurenai convinced him that it was okay, that it was not his fault and that if Asuma was here, he'd be glad he was still alive. Speaking of which, do you remember Yoshio?"

The blond knitted his eyebrows, trying to figure out who _Yoshio_ could be. After a moment it came back to him: "Wait! Wasn't Yoshio Kurenai's son!? I remember him being held by Shizune after the operation." It had been shortly before the great fight, when they had come back to Konoha for the last preparations. In the middle of the night ( he hadn't been able to sleep at that time) he had heard a group of people and Sakura go to the provisory hospital. It had been the 20th February when Kurenai gave birth to hers and Asumas son.

"Exact. He is in his last year in the academy. If it hadn't been for his illness, Shikamaru would have been his sensei. When he was feeling better he resolved upon leaving the village together with Temari. Even if they aren't ninjas anymore they're still supporting us and Suagakure."

The silence was eerie and Naruto seemed too distraught to say anything. For both Temari and Shikamaru it must have been a very difficult choice, that was for sure. "But there were also a lot of other things that happened, not only tragedies. For example, two years ago Kiba by accident stumbled over Neji making preparations for something. After annoying him a hundred times with the question what he was doing, he finally snapped." Naruto looked up. He was still affected by Shikamarus faith but still there was some interest gleaming in those blue orbs, his eyes were.

"And what was it?"

"He wanted to ask Tenten to go out with him."

"Seemed to have taken him long enough!", Naruto chuckled. He tried to imagine the scene. It sure must have been hilarious. "What about Hinata? Did she find anybody?"

Sasuke who had been laughing too became suddenly very serious and Naruto expected already the worst. But his concerns were unfounded as his friend began to explain: "She's been waiting. All these years she's been waiting for you to come back to the village. Though there were a lot of men who had tried to make her go out with them she never actually agreed to their offers. She loves you more than anything and I am sure she would have gone with you, if she had been able to." The raven looked in the blonds face. He could distinguish two feelings in it: Astonishment and sadness. He seemed to feel guilty about having left her alone and having taken many happy moments away from her. Sasuke frowned, in Narutos eyes was also reflected something like gratitude.

"Do you like her?" Without wanting it, he had popped the question. Naruto bit his lower lip. That one was difficult. He himself was not sure about his answer so he chose his words wisely: "I grew attached to her after she had protected me from Pain and confessed her feelings but I didn't know what I should do about it. Back then I still had those feelings for Sakura and when Hinata came and told me she loved me, I felt guilty and avoided her in order not to give her an answer. I didn't want to hurt her." His arm wandered to his stomach. Sasuke knew what his friend was referring to, in both ways, "But now I'm not sure…Maybe I'll find out one day." He smiled sadly and suddenly Sasuke asked the one question that had been bothering him these last ten years: "Why did you leave?"

Naruto was caught off guard by that one. He shifted uncomfortably on the ground and stalled the moment he would have to confess. He took a deep breath and when he finally said it, his voice was a mere whisper: "I felt empty…"

Sasuke stared at Naruto who looked so defeated and lonely like a lost child. But then….maybe he was one. The blond continued in a low voice: "After the fight against Madara, after fighting you, after fighting the Jubi I didn't know what to do anymore. So many people died in the battle and it was all my fault….because when I had to give you the final blow I ran away like a coward and being captured by Madara the state I was in they all came to rescue me. I'm happy that you're alive and that now you are able to live the life I think you were always supposed to live." He bent his head down hiding his eyes but Sasuke could see that he was shaking. "But still… Shino, Iruka-sensei and all the others…they had their families, their lives and their dear persons and I just can't stop thinking about it. Maybe if I had done more and put all my strength into it, maybe that all wouldn't-…"

He stopped, jerking his head up as he felt Sasuke laying a hand on his right shoulder and giving him a look that told him it was enough.

"You had to make a difficult decision just like my brother. At that moment it was not clear that we both formed the weapon to destroy Madara and if you had killed me that day, the fourth Ninja World War would have broken out and many more would have lost their lives. If it wasn't for you, there would never have been any peace at all. You are not to blame at all. Not at all."

The tears fell silently and mixed with the dirt on the road. Naruto felt stupid. He was crying out of happiness because someone gave him understanding for the mistakes he had made. But he knew that it would not be over by just saying that it was not his fault. He wasn't that naïve anymore. So for the first time in ten years he faked a little smile and looked back at his old hometown. He had missed it. Very much actually but that was something they could discuss an other time, after seeing everyone again. Sasuke raised from the ground and looked at the rising sun. Turning back to his friend he gave him a hand and a reassuring smile, which he accepted without hesitation. While Naruto grabbed his sling bag he wanted to know one last thing from his former team mate. Something he had noticed the moment the raven had found him in the mountains: "Sasuke, you're more cheerful than ever before. Why is that?"

Sasuke, who had already taken the lead, looked back at him and showed him a grin: " Because after ten years, my brother is finally coming back home."


End file.
